DeanWuBlog

What a Dean Does: Central Administration

Our Law School is an integral part of a comprehensive urban research university, enrolling more than 33,000 students and offering doctoral level programs in a wide range of disciplines. It is important to recognize our role within a larger structure. As Dean, one of my responsibilities is to oversee our interaction with the central administration that coordinates the many units on campus and engages in overall strategic planning. This interaction occurs in many forms.

Every other week, the Council of Deans – consisting of a dozen deans and chaired by the Provost – meets to consider issues of common concern. We also invite senior administrators to discuss these matters: for example, at a recent meeting, the new head of communications and public relations attended, as did the General Counsel and Senior Vice President for Advancement. Alternating with the Council of Deans is a one-on-one meeting with the Provost. I have enjoyed working with our Provost, Dr. Nancy S. Barrett, who is not only the chief academic officer but also has responsibility for the budget.

Many of our administrators work regularly with counterparts in the central administration. In some respects, we depend on the central administration. For example, while we have an Information Technology staff and maintain our own servers, the central Computing and Information Technology (C&IT) office maintains our wireless network. In other respects, we have individuals dedicated to the Law School but reporting elsewhere. For example, our Advancement Office works solely for the benefit of the Law School and closely with me, but the Director is technically supervised by an advancement office located in Beecher House (and hence the entire operation is often referred to as “Beecher House”). In yet other respects, we enjoy considerable autonomy. Almost all other units have a class scheduling and room assignment system that is controlled by the central administration. The Law School handles its own class schedule and maintains its own room assignment system (making Partrich Auditorium available to other constituencies).

At some institutions, the Law School and the central administration have a relationship that is almost adversarial. Here, I have believed that the Law School benefits from a central administration that is supportive, and I intend to ensure the Law School remains on the best terms with Wayne State University as a whole.